The present invention relates to fasteners for securing planar members to wooden strips. In particular, the types of planar members of primary concern are tongue and groove panelling, wall or flooring members such as pine boards.
In accordance with prior art techniques, when tongue and groove members are to be secured to elongated wooden support strips, the sheets are typically interlocked one at a time with nails then being toed into the rear edge of the grooved portion so as to secure the planar member to the support strip. The support strips can be either thin furring strips or larger support members. The alternative to such a technique is to drive the nails through the outer face of the planar members for securing them to the support strip. In the latter case, even when finishing nails are used, an undesirable appearance is created. With the prior technique, damage is often caused to the grooved portion as the nail is driven into place. Such damage is especially frequent when the amateur carpenter, which is the category into which most homeowners fall, attempts to use a toe nailing procedure for securing the tongue and groove planar members.
Various different types of fasteners are known within the prior art for securing planar members to a support structure. Several examples of such clips and fasteners are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,713,264 to Morgan; 3,828,514 to Jureit; 3,922,764 to Downing; and 4,000,596 to Magill. None of these patents, however, disclose a fastener that overcomes the above mentioned problems.